JP2023525943A - Packaging machine and method having stations for folding and closing preformed cartons - Google Patents

Abstract

A mechanical device for packaging the articles (15, 15') in the preformed carton (18) rests on the carton and includes a conveyor ( 19), comprising a closing station, in particular a first side wall of said carton arranged transversely to the direction of travel (A) of said carton so that it is in contact with the articles, in particular in the direction of travel of the carton. Having a first folding means (24) designed to lift so as to be positioned towards the rear of the articles with respect to the direction, said closing station can be moved parallel to the direction of carton travel and the closing station is characterized by being integral with a sliding surface (20) parallel to the machine surface (26) over which the cartons travel. A packaging method using the machine described above. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to packaging machinery with stations for folding and closing preformed cartons and to methods for folding and closing cartons.

Various types of cartons suitable for packaging and effectively protecting articles are generally known. A particularly advantageous example from these points of view is described in the application EP-A-3093246 filed in the name of the applicant. Said cartons are cut by measuring the articles to be packaged and cutting the cartons, especially starting from a continuous corrugated web (reel or fan-folded or manufactured by any commonly known method). , by means of packaging machinery comprising means for scoring and means for creating dies, positioning articles on a carton when properly folded and glued, and thereafter closing said carton about the articles. , can be made to the dimensions of the individual article. Cutting and creasing are performed according to the measurements of the article obtained using suitable means, the article is placed on the cut and folded carton, which is then cut into the article by further folding and gluing operations. is closed around the Human involvement is limited to the loading of individual items onto the conveyor belt of the machine.

A mechanical device of this kind is disclosed in the applications EP-A-3463844, EP-A-3464085 and European It is described in patent application publication number 3464086 and patents EP 3464074 and EP 3464073.

EP-A-3093246 EP-A-3463844 EP-A-3464085 EP-A-3464086 EP 3464074 EP 3464073

In particular, the specification, EP-A-3464086 and EP-A-3464074, are expressly designed for packaging articles in cartons according to EP-A-3093246, respectively. Folding and closing stations are described. These folding and closing stations require that the articles remain stationary relative to the machine during processing at these stations. The cartons and the articles to be packaged are moved by a conveyor unit, usually comprising a conveyor belt, on which the bottom of the carton rests and feeds the cartons along the machine. Therefore, in existing machinery, several independent sections of said conveyor belt, in particular the side closing walls and the folding tabs (which must be glued to the top of the carton) are folded around the articles to be packaged, the folding A first folding zone of the station and a section provided by the application of adhesive to said tabs, in which the cartons advance and the gluing and folding means cooperate with the feeding of the cartons without stopping here. and a second section corresponding to the second folding zone, wherein the carton interacts with said zone during processing thereof (surrounding the article by the third side wall and top). A second section is employed, which must be kept stationary. Finally, there is a further section corresponding to the closing station, where a carton stop is also required, the carton is lifted and adhesive is applied to the carton walls behind the articles relative to the carton feed direction. . This requires a long stop. A separate conveyor belt section allows other cartons to move through other parts of the machine, including being there during stops between these stages. However, in the most advanced machines of this kind, the high operating speeds during the other stages necessitate stopping the cartons, especially at the closing station, which significantly increases the hourly productivity that can be achieved. cause restrictions.

The above drawbacks are presently associated with machines for packaging articles in preformed cartons which have conveyors for feeding the cartons with the articles placed on and partially enclosed by the carton. and said machine comprises a closing station, said closing station comprising first folding means specifically designed to lift said first side wall of said carton so that it is positioned against the articles. , said side wall is overcome according to the invention by a machine arranged transversely to the carton supply direction, in particular behind the articles with respect to the carton supply direction, and said closing station is moved parallel to the carton supply direction. characterized by obtaining

According to a preferred embodiment, the closing station also comprises means for applying an adhesive to said side walls, in particular coupled with the first folding means, and according to a further embodiment, said station attaches the closure flaps to said side walls. It comprises a second folding means designed to push against.

According to a further aspect, the machine also removes a second side wall of the carton opposite the first side wall, more specifically, positioned in front of the articles with respect to the carton feed direction. a folding station having a folding zone with third folding means designed to lift and fold the top wall hinged to the second side wall onto the articles, said folding zone being parallel to the carton feeding direction; can be moved.

The present invention also relates to a method of packaging articles in a carton, the method comprising:
feeding cartons containing partially enclosed articles in a feed direction by a conveyor;
gripping the carton by folding means and optionally applying adhesive by a closing station;
moving the closing station during the gripping phase in the carton feeding direction so that the carton being fed and the station are in a stationary position relative to each other;
releasing the closed carton by said means;
and moving the closing station in a direction opposite to the direction of carton feeding to return the station to its original position.

The invention will now be better explained by showing a preferred embodiment provided by way of example, especially with reference to the drawings, without limiting the scope of protection of this patent.

1 schematically shows an overall perspective view of a machine for forming cartons and packaging articles according to the present invention; FIG. Fig. 3 schematically shows a closing station during carton closing and gluing; Fig. 2 schematically shows the closing station after releasing the closed carton; Fig. 2 schematically shows a further view of a closing station with first folding means and glue application means for handling cartons;

A machine according to the invention is shown in FIG.

In this machine the corrugated board web 1 is generally known as reeled or fan-folded or made in another suitable way, for example as described in application EP3529050 or IT102018000009606. provided by means of A first cutting station 2 separates rectangular portions from the web for carton making following further forming steps. The carton advances on a suitable conveyor (of the commonly known type) and reaches a creasing station 3 designed to create suitable creases both longitudinally and transversely to the carton feeding direction. do. A second cutting station 4 is designed to perform a series of cuts. According to a preferred aspect of the invention, said cutting station may be made, for example, according to the teachings of EP-A-3464073. According to a further aspect, this solution can be modified by doubling the number of cutting units. In this way, the transverse cuts in the transverse folds of cartons manufactured in accordance with this specification may be made in a single step rather than in two, slowing or reducing the carton during carton forming. no need to stop. Clearly, it should be possible to simultaneously space the various cutting units in a suitable manner so that they are simultaneously positioned over the fold.

This is followed by a gluing station 16 where glue is applied in place and a folding station 17 . The folding station may be similar to that described in one of the applications mentioned above, or it may close all reinforcement and closure flaps and then side-close with suitable re-opening means. It may be made to re-open the flap. This makes it possible to create a much simpler folding station where the cartons do not have to stop on the conveyor. The carton reaches position 7 where the articles to be packaged 15, 15' are placed with reinforcing flaps glued to the central portion and side closure flaps open to allow placement of the articles. .

Articles may come from a loading station comprising one or more loading belts 6, 6' on which the articles can be loaded by workers. In the illustrated case there are two loading belts. The articles on the second belt are pushed onto the first belt by suitable means 5 and alternate with the articles loaded directly on the first belt. Measurement structure 13 measures the position and dimensions of the article. This data is used to size the carton according to the dimensions of the item. Alignment system 14 properly centers the article and the article moves onto conveyor belt 35 which places the article on the preformed carton at point 7 . The loading and placement of articles may be done in other commonly known ways.

After the articles have been placed on the carton, the carton reaches a further folding (and gluing station) 8 and a final closing station 9 . The final closing station may be followed by further processing stations 10, for example for labelling.

As mentioned above, the cartons can be made, for example, as described in EP-A-3093246. However, the machine and method according to the present invention are not limited to being applied to this type of carton, and can be used with other types of cartons having appropriate characteristics.

With reference to FIG. 2, a carton 18 moved by a suitable conveyor 19 (of a commonly known type) that moves the cartons by friction, such as a conveyor belt positioned underneath the carton, can be observed.

The carton encloses the articles to be packaged.

A second folding means 21 (lowered over the carton) is visible, as is a stop means 22 which holds the carton in place relative to the folding station. A lateral opening 23 is also visible on the first movable sliding surface 20 .

The transverse openings permit their entry during the phases in which the first folding means 24 are not engaged with the cartons, the first means being used for handling the cartons as shown in FIG. You may leave the first movable slide surface 20 through the opening. All the solutions described in EP 3464074 can be used in the production of the folding station. The present invention, according to one aspect thereof, may differ from that described herein only with respect to the features specified below.

Instead of being fixed relative to the rest of the machinery, the first movable slide surface 20 is designed to run in the same feeding direction as the cartons, as shown in the diagram by arrow A.

This may be parallel to the machine surface 26 and downward through a window made in the machine surface, said window having a side indicated at 25, which is essentially the surface and allows the closing station to proceed. The first sliding surface is mounted on a lower carriage that is moved inside the machine (via motor and electric transmission, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, or other methods) in a commonly known manner. obtain. The opening 23, like all structures of the folding station, is integral with a first sliding surface, said sliding surface having a first position in the direction of the origin of the cartons carried by the conveyor belt 19 and The carton can move to and from a second position in a direction away from the folding station. The conveyor belt may continue uninterrupted in the feed direction, but the folding station in the first position receives the carton and stops it essentially as described in EP3464074. It is fixed by means 22 . The first sliding surface travels at the same speed as the conveyor belt 19, which causes the first folding means to leave through the openings 23, the side walls of the carton to be lifted, and the adhesive to adhere to the means of FIG. The carton 18 is moved in the same direction while remaining stationary relative to the belts during all closing steps, including being applied by 27 and the closing flaps of the carton being closed by the second folding means. Upon completion of these procedures, the carton is released by the folding means and stopping means, the first folding means retracting through the opening 23 and under the first sliding surface, the first sliding surface may advance from a second position (reached by advancing in the carton feeding direction) to a first position, where it may receive another carton to be closed. Meanwhile, the just-closed carton may continue on its way to further processing stages or until it leaves the machine.

A further difference to EP 3464074 is that the cartons no longer need to stop moving, so a different solution can be adopted for the conveyor, which moves the cartons at a constant speed over all stages. We no longer need the section because it is preferable to have For example, the same conveyor belt 18 can be used upstream and downstream of the closing station. To pass through opening 23 , the belt may be entered by end return rollers 28 . It is under the first movable slide surface 20 and by one or more tension rollers integrally supported on the movable slide surface, in particular on the lower carriage supporting said slide surface, and on the first can be made to extend under all supporting and moving structures of the closure means of the . In this way, while the first movable slide surface is translated toward the second position, the conveyor belt remains stationary relative to it and the slide surface is free to advance toward or away from the machine. and remain stationary relative to each other, which allows the belt to continue its motion without interference.

Other solutions are also possible, for example two different conveyor belt sections. In this case, the progression of the first movable slide surface had to be considered, allowing the belt to cover different lengths over the machine surface and slide surface. For example, it is generally necessary to provide a tensioning system under the machine, such as a first movable sliding surface or movable rollers or other system. This solution may also allow the carton speed to be varied, eg depending on the dimensions, if desired.

According to one aspect of the invention, upstream of the closing station, the machine has a folding station with folding zones as described above. It can be manufactured in the same way as the second folding zone described in EP-A-3464086, except that it is integrally attached to the second movable sliding surface. As can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, the second folding zone 30 features third folding means 32, which are only partially shown. It is integral with a second movable slide surface 31, which may likewise face the first slide surface, from the surface 26 of the mechanical device. In this case, in contrast to the prior art, said conveyor unit, in particular the conveyor belt 19, may extend over the folding zone, which travels at the same speed as the belt while the cartons are engaged with the folding means, and then the cartons. is released, it is returned to the starting end and the process is repeated.

Claims (6)

A machine for packaging articles (15, 15') in a preformed carton (18), the carton being placed on top of the carton so as to advance with the articles partially enclosed by said carton. with a station for closing, said station being in particular a first side wall of said carton arranged transversely to said carton direction of travel (A), A machine having first folding means (24) designed to lift upwards towards said articles, in particular towards the rear of said articles relative to the direction of travel of said carton, wherein said closing station is adapted to lift said carton Mechanical device, characterized in that it can be moved parallel to the direction of travel. 2. Machine according to claim 1, wherein said closing station also comprises means for applying an adhesive (27) to said side walls, in particular associated with said first folding means. Machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said closing station comprises second folding means (21) designed to press the carton closure flap against said side walls. lifting a second side wall of the carton opposite the first side wall, in particular positioned with respect to the articles and in front of the articles with respect to the direction of carton travel; It also comprises a folding station having a folding zone (30) comprising a third folding means (31) designed to fold a hinged top wall over said articles, said folding zone extending in the direction of travel of said carton. 4. A mechanical device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which can be moved in parallel. 5. The closing station according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein said closing station is integral with a sliding surface (20) parallel to a surface (26) of said machinery over which said cartons travel and which can be displaced in said direction of travel. 1. Mechanical device according to item 1. A method of packaging an article in a carton, comprising:
advancing the carton containing the partially enclosed articles in a direction of travel by a conveyor;
gripping said carton by folding means and optionally applying adhesive by a closing station;
moving the closing station in the direction of carton travel during the gripping step so that the advancing carton and the station are in a stationary position relative to each other;
releasing said closed carton by said means;
and moving the closing station in a direction opposite to the direction of carton travel to return the station to the original position.

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